The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
– Right-wing ultras –
Scenes of helmeted Spanish police armed with metal shields fighting Russians hurling stones and flammable objects flashed across Russian TV screens and prompted government media to rally to the supporters’ defence.
“Local ultras provoked Russians,” Vesti state television said in a news bulletin. “Our fans were heading to the stadium when they were attacked with firecracker bombs, which resulted in a fight.”
A column on the website of Russia’s main sport channel Match TV accused the police of “having insufficient experience” in dealing with converging groups of fans.
But Moscow’s authoritative Sport Express daily said it was clair that “the Spartak fans are no saints”.
“They really did include people with right-wing views — including ultra-right-wings ones,” Sport Express said. “And they were ready to square off against the ultra-left-wing Basques.”
Hooliganism experts say Russia’s powerful FSB security service has cracked down hard on football gangs and blacklisted many of their leaders in the run-up.
The Russian government’s official plan is to force both foreign and domestic supporters to undergo background checks before receiving a special Fan ID card required to enter the country.
A security source said Russian law enforcement agents were also working with their counterparts from England and other countries to determine which fans were safe.
